Give The Gift Of Charity: 5 Ways To Donate Your Unwanted Presents

Maybe it’s a sweater that doesn’t fit, or maybe it’s a DVD player from your grandmother, who doesn’t realize all the kids use Netflix and Chromecast these days.

Maybe it’s a toy that you’re just a bit too old for.

Maybe it’s a can of soup and a package of bologna from that one relative who always forgets to Christmas shop.

Whatever it is, instead of asking for a receipt, share the gift of giving by donating unwanted gifts to people in need.

There are hundreds of charities that accept Christmas gifts, but here are five ideas:

1. Donate clothing to a homeless shelter

It’s new, it’s unworn and it doesn’t fit.

If you’re going to brave the traffic in order to do something about it (instead of letting it hide in your closet for a few years), why don’t you donate it to a shelter?

With the weather getting colder, there are lots of people in need of warmer clothes.

Those knit socks might not be appreciated in your household, but they might help someone else avoid frostbite.

There are tons of programs available for this.

Your best bet to make sure your donations go to people in your community is to get in touch with your local Salvation Army chapter.

You can also give your Chamber of Commerce a call to see what businesses are running collections.

Either way, it’s a great way to help.

2. Give toys to a foster program.

Foster kids have it rough. There’s no way around it.

There just aren’t enough people, and there’s never enough money to make sure all foster kids have a good Christmas.

If you’re a parent who’s been given toys that aren’t appropriate for your kids, or a young adult who still hasn’t convinced your family you can buy your own Legos, make sure those toys end up in the hands of kids who would appreciate them.

If you’re feeling up to it, you can even adopt a family and make sure their kids get presents they’d enjoy.